Oakland Raiders, Kansas Chiefs still have postseason hopes

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Two old rivals who aren't remotely what they thought they would be meet Saturday, clinging to the dream of an AFC West title.

A crushing 28-27 loss to the Detroit Lions aside, the road for the Raiders (7-7) coming off three straight defeats is straightforward: beat the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium and the San Diego Chargers next week at home, then see Denver lose to Kansas City in Week 17.

That would put the Raiders at 9-7 and prevailing as the AFC West champions with a 4-2 division record to Denver's 3-3. The Broncos are a game up at 8-6, but their game today at Buffalo is irrelevant to the Raiders' cause.

"We're still playing for the playoffs," Raiders fullback Marcel Reece said recently. "We want to stay together and win as many games as possible, because we still believe we have a chance."

Kansas City (6-8), the defending division champion, could pull off an unlikely repeat in the event of a four-way or three-way tie atop the division at 8-8 because of tiebreaker advantages.

The Chiefs would be eliminated if Denver beats Buffalo on Saturday. San Diego (7-7) visits Detroit before finishing in Oakland.

"You know what, strange things happen in the NFL, particularly this year, because of the offseason and training camp, the way it was set up," Chiefs interim coach Romeo Crennel said. "We're fortunate to be in that position, and if it turns out we can make it, we would love that. But we can't look beyond the Raider game, because if we don't do anything in that one, then it doesn't make any difference."

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Both teams have dealt with significant injuries that affected their ability to take command of the division.

Oakland lost quarterback Jason Campbell after six games and traded for Carson Palmer. Running back Darren McFadden was hurt Oct. 23 against the Chiefs and hasn't been seen since. Wide receiver Jacoby Ford has missed the past five games.

Kansas City lost three key players -- tight end Tony Moeaki, running back Jamaal Charles and safety Eric Berry -- before the season was three games old. Quarterback Matt Cassel followed Nov. 13 with a hand injury.

Quarterback Kyle Orton, who was the starter for Denver before Tebowmania, was claimed off waivers Nov. 23 and started Sunday in a 19-14 upset of the previously unbeaten Green Bay Packers.

Orton threw for 299 yards, and the Kansas City defense shut down the same Packers offense that strafed the Raiders the previous week in Green Bay.

"They've simplified their offense to give him a chance at success," Raiders coach Hue Jackson said.

The last time the teams played, Palmer, who had just joined the team, replaced Kyle Boller with the Raiders trailing 21-0. He was 8-for-21 with three interceptions, including a 58-yard return for a touchdown by Brandon Flowers.

"I'm not taking much from that game," Palmer said. "They're a different team; we're a different offense now. It's going to be a much different time than the last time we played them."

Raiders offensive coordinator Al Saunders likes Palmer's chances now that he has acclimated with the offense.

"The players we're facing on defense are the same. Romeo was the defensive coordinator then, and he's the defensive coordinator now," Saunders said. "We know what they do and who they are. That (first game) was a very unusual situation."

What couldn't be anticipated a few weeks ago was the wave of momentum the Chiefs would have going into this game. Kansas City disappointed the home fans by losing the 2010 season finale 31-10 at home to the Raiders, followed by a 30-7 wild card loss to Baltimore in Kansas City.

Disappointment turned to disgust following two blowout losses to start the season by a combined 89-10 that included the losses of Moeaki, Charles and Berry.

There was a surge to 4-3 followed by four consecutive losses, but nothing for the fans to truly buy into until the victory over the Packers in Crennel's first game.

"Nobody expected us to win that game," Crennel said. "Nobody expected us to be in that game, to be totally honest with you."

There is a pro-Crennel contingent forming within the roster, hoping the defensive coordinator gets the nod to replace Haley next season.

"I've seen coaching changes during the season, and it just shakes the whole thing up," Palmer said.

Raiders free safety Michael Huff (hamstring) and defensive tackle John Henderson (knee) will not face the Chiefs. Also out are McFadden (foot), Ford (foot) and Campbell (collarbone).

Listed as questionable are running back and leading rusher Michael Bush (shoulder), running back Taiwan Jones (hamstring) and wide receiver Louis Murphy (groin).